Snacks of the Day: Red Bean Bread!

Next to that bindaetteok restaurant in Namdaemun Market is a stall that also catches your attention...and appetite!

They display several types of bread snacks on their table, and what always draws me to their display is the red bean bread, coated with white dough and then steamed. The bread looks like dumpling, but instead of some mandu filling, they squeeze in sweetened red bean paste! I guess this is the healthier version of the pat-pang, because the other pat-pang variety is a bread, deep-fried and sprinkled with white sugar.

Each pat-pang (bread filled with red bean paste) costs only KRW1,000 each. So, I usually buy...three! Ha-ha-ha! One is not always enough!

The next time you're in Namdaemun Market, do look for their stall near Gate 2, next to the bindaetteok restaurant and get one, two, or more of their bread that you can describe as your own snacks of the day!

Bindaetteok For Lunch, Anyone?

Hidden somewhere inside Namdaemun Market in Seoul is a small restaurant that's always full during lunch time and even more popular at night. Actually, it's not that hidden. It's just a few meters from Gate 2 of Namdaemun Market. 

This is the bindaetteok restaurant. Bindaetteok is ground mung beans and then fried in a batter to look like pancakes. Although Gwangjang Market in the Jongno District is more popular for this dish, you can always satisfy your craving if you can't go that far.

             (I told the ajumma I was coming back 
            if she corrected the spelling. Ha-ha-ha!)

On a few occasions, I ordered take-out from this restaurant when I didn't have the time to properly sit and enjoy bindaetteok on the spot. Unfortunately, when I took the bus carrying my bindaetteok, the smell of the freshly fried pancake wafted through the air-conditioned bus, which probably caused my fellow passengers to drool and to also want to hunt down which passenger was carrying the warm, ready-to-eat bindaetteok. I got home safe with my bindaetteok that day. Ha-ha-ha! 

Bindaetteok is served on a plate, sliced into squares. There are variations of bindaetteok: seafood, pork, vegetable, plain, or any other garnishings you can throw in with the ground mung beans. You also need a dip if you want it salty.

If you want to try these yourself, just look for the Gate 2 of Namdaemun Market. I'm not talking about the subway station; the Namdaemun Market has several entrances/exits around it. Look for Gate 2, and a few meters into Gate 2, on your left, you'll see a table displaying freshly fried bindaetteok. Get inside the restaurant and order from their English menu pasted on the wall. 

Enjoy!

                            (Ready-to-enjoy bindaetteok!)

Seoul's Dongho: Not A Bridge Too Far

I always call this bridge the Oksu Bridge. Why? Because if you take the subway, Oksu Station (of Line 3) is the last subway station from my side of the Han River before it crosses over to the Gangnam side. And the other station waiting on the Gangnam side is Apgujeong Station. 

But these days (or nights for that matter!), I call it by its real name, Dongho Bridge.

I have been walking along the Han River banks all these years, and probably could name most of the bridges that traverse the river. And on these walks, I always get drawn towards the popular Banpo Bridge, where the rainbow fountains are installed.

But lately, I found that the Banpo fountains have lost their colors, I decided to walk (and look!) the other way. Like a moth, I got drawn towards another colorful bridge: the Dongho Bridge!

From afar, Dongho Bridge's bluish, lavender lights that seem to have been smartly installed on the edge of the bridge, reflect on the Han River's waters below on a still night.

In summer, the cyclists, joggers, couples, mom with baby strollers, and one Pinoy get to stop for a moment and admire the relaxing colors of the bridge. 

And since Dongho Bridge hosts the train track of Line 3, the Orange Line, I wonder if it was deliberate that they painted the steel beams on the bridge orange. And even the huge concrete bridge support below are bathed in light and reflect an orangey light, making the look complete. 

Although it has no fountains and no tourists gathered around it like its neighbor two bridges away, Dongho Bridge has its own true colors.

                      (No fishing!)

See you again tonight, Dongho Bridge!

Living in Korea 101: The Smart Entry Service @ Incheon Airport

Are you one of those rushing to get to the Immigration counter as quick as you can upon landing at Incheon International Airport? Like me, you rush to get there first because. If you're unlucky, there could be a lot of foreigners already lining up before you. And lining up to wait for your turn could take up time, especially when there were flights arriving from China loaded with tourists. One time, I had to admonish a Chinese tourist who tried to jump the line; she just cut before me like she was inserting herself in a grade school gym class.

But if you're holding a specific type of visa, you can actually avoid these long lines. How? By registering for the Smart Entry Service (SES).

The SES is "an automatic immigration clearance system which allows pre-approved travelers to process immigration clearance by themselves using biometric information." Yes, you don't need to be face-to-face with an Immigration officer as you leave or come to South Korea. You simply breeze through without having to worry about the long lines.

               (Immigration Office at Seoul Station 
               where you can register for SES)

If you ever noticed upon your arrival, on the left-most side of the Immigration area, next to 'FOREIGNERS' lines, there's a single entry door where you'd see people scanning their passports and putting both index fingers on the biometric scanners. That's the SES line. According to the SES website, it takes only 12 seconds! Yes, you don't need to spend minutes (at times 30!) waiting in line and put up with uncouth tourists.

            (The SES registration machine at the
            Seoul Station's Immigration Office)

So, if your visa type is one of those qualified for SES, you can register yourself for this very convenient service. Just bring your passport and alien registration card. 

Click on the SES link below and check under 'Eligibility'. You can also locate the registration office nearest you.

http://www.ses.go.kr/ses/SesCenterR_en.ses

Doraemon @ Yongsan Electronics Market

I guess it was appropriate to welcome the robotic cat right next to the electronics market of Seoul. The Yongsan Electronics Market in Seoul, Korea, is the central market for everything electronic - from smart phones to digital cameras, to computers and everything else that runs on electricity.

I actually saw these Doraemon mascots in front of Yongsan's I-Park Mall the night before. Even as the darkness was enveloping the area, people were still eager to take photos with the mascots. 

But it was a different story the day after. Under the hot noon-time sun, hundreds of people, most of them on their lunch break from nearby offices, flocked around the mascots and were busy smiling for selfies with Doraemon while they tummies were grumbling.

The mascots were installed to promote an expo to satisfy the Doraemon craze, and probably this weekend, hundreds more kids are flocking to the Yongsan Station to have their turn for selfies, too.

To get to IPark Mall, take the subway to Yongsan Station (Line 1), or get off at Sinyonsan Station (Line 4) and exit at Exit 3. Hopefully, the 100 cats will still be there.

Living in Korea 101: Visiting the Korea Immigration Office in Seoul

For those of us living in South Korea, we may have to, at one time, extend our visas, or apply for an alien registration card (ARC) if we're staying in the country for a long period.  

I got my ARC early on when I started working in South Korea, and it helped me open a bank account and got me mileage cards for cafes, movie houses, supermarkets and department stores. It's even required if you want to register as a blood donor for the Korean Red Cross.

Having lived here for a number of years already, I must have gone to the Seoul Immigration Office in Yangcheon District at least once every two years to renew my visa, and considering that there are a lot of foreigners who may need to visit the same place, I decided to post a how-to-get-there blog.  

By the way, there are two immigration offices which foreigners living in Seoul can visit. One is at the Seoul Global Center building in Jongno District, and the other is at Yangcheon District, depending on which district you live. I live in the Yongsan District and my assigned immigration office is at Yangcheon District.

And this is how to get to the Immigration Office at Yangcheon-gu if you're assigned to renew your visa in this office:

1. Take the subway train and get off at Omokgyo Station (Line 5).
                              

2. Get to Exit 7. That's the exit nearest the Immigration Office.

3. If you want convenience, take a cab from Exit 7 and just say 'immigration' to the driver. At this exit, there is a line of taxi cabs waiting for anyone heading to the immigration office. I always take the cab as it's a long walk and I want to save time.

                       (Taxis lining up at Exit 7)

4. The cab will stop at the intersection near the immigration office and the taxi driver will just point you to its direction. The immigration building is at the left of the intersection, but since there's no left-turn, you will have to alight and cross the street from there.

(The intersection near the Immigration Office)

5. Cross the street and follow the signs. Make sure you get into the right building. The immigration office is the second building, not the first one.

(Immigration building as seen from the intersection)

6. The immigration services are on the ground floor to your right when you enter. Make sure you get your 'waiting number' from the machine by selecting the service you need. 

         (The Immigration Building's directory)

Wait at the seating area till your assigned number comes up on the digital display. There is also a staff in the area who gives assistance. 

By the way, the service fees are paid in the form of stamps, which you can buy at the lobby from a lady, or from a stamp-dispensing machine for nominal amounts.

Note: Before you head to the Immigration Office, make sure all your required documents are complete and signed, so that you don't have to go back. If you are being issued a new ARC, this would take a few days.  But if you have an existing ARC and you are extending your stay, you can just wait for about 15 minutes while they stamp the 'extension date' in your ARC.

I hope these directions help.

Korean Immigration Services website:

http://www.immigration.go.kr/HP/IMM80/index.do

To make a reservation for your visit:

http://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/ResvMain_en.pt?locale=en

For Korean Immigration hotline: Call #1345

Photo of the Day: A Sunshiny Day!

"I can see clearly now the rain is gone...
I can see all obstacles in my way...
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind..
It's gonne be a bright, bright sunshiny day".

Yes, you can almost hear Johnny Nash' song when you see the clear skies over Seoul today. Clear skies, literally and figuratively.

Now, that the tensions at the border with North Korea have evaporated, and the typhoon has passed, Wednesday morning in Seoul is all about some sunshiny day.

As most locals would say to you when you leave an establishment no matter what time of day it is (yes, even at night you'd hear this):

"Have a nice day!"